BETHLEHEM HISTORICAL
ASSOCIATION
IN THIS
ISSUE
Bethlehem Historical Association
Newsletter
O C T O B E R

2 0 1 4
President’s
Letter

Silver Tea

Medals

New
Initiatives

Genealogy
Corner

Growing
Up on
Brockley
We Have A New Logo
Live for Today
Dream for
Tomorrow
Learn from
Yesterday
It is with great pleasure that the Association reveals our new logo. We are grateful
to graphic artist Jessica Loy for her creative energy in designing the logo which
incorporates Jeanne Stanley Brown’s original sketch. Since being chartered in
1965, the Bethlehem Historical Association has strived to fulfill its purpose :
* To stimulate an appreciation of the historical heritage of the Town of Bethlehem.
* To discover, collect and preserve any material which may help to illustrate the
history.
* To cooperate with the town government and with private enterprise in achieving
the preservation of historic buildings.
* To disseminate historical information concerning the community and its
residents.
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2
Dear Members and Friends:
The 2014 annual meeting of the Town of Bethlehem Historical Association was held on May 15, 2014 with a dinner at the Mansion at Cedar
Hill. Election of Officers and Trustees resulted in the following for the 2014
-15 Season: President, Kathleen A. Newkirk; Vice President, Ann VanDervort; Recording Secretary, Christine Ford; Corresponding Secretary, Wenday Brandow; Treasurer, Anne Young. New Trustees are Lois Dillon and
Sheila Giordano to serve until 2017. An enthusiastic group of members and
guests attended.
Our summer exhibit opening, “Farming in Bethlehem”, was held on
Sunday, June 15, 2014 from 1:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with an ice-cream social
courtesy of Stewart’s Shops. The exhibit featured farm implements and displays of local farms that were in Bethlehem through the years. There was
also a case dedicated to the 140th Anniversary of the Bethlehem Grange.
Programs have been arranged for the new year and have been successfully started. September was a presentation by Denis Foley on Jack
“Legs” Diamond. A large crowd was on hand to listen to an interesting program including mention of the Prior family and the former home of Governor Martin Glynn.
We will be celebrating 50 years in 2015 with a dinner at the Mansion
at Cedar Hill in May. If you are interested in helping plan our celebration,
please contact Vice President Ann VanDervort or me.
I would like to invite everyone to come, visit and enjoy all our Museum and Association have to offer. Hard work has been done to bring interesting programs each month for the enjoyment of everyone. I look forward to seeing you at the Museum.
Kathy
BHA President
Kathy Newkirk
“Displays were
often done with
natural materials.”
A Williamsburg
Christmas
BETHLEHEM
News from the President
A Williamsburg Christmas
Our holiday exhibit this year will be a “Williamsburg Christmas”. A few years ago
we had a display on Christmas in Williamsburg and it was very popular. So, we
decided to show you another one. In early Williamsburg, Christmas displays were
often done with natural materials including berries, pine cones, dried flowers and, of
course, lots of candles and fruit. Enjoy the exhibit and wonderful refreshments during
our annual Silver Tea Sunday, December 7 and Monday, December 8 from 1 to 4 in
the afternoon. All are welcome to come and enjoy. The display is being done under
the leadership of Vice President, Ann VanDervort and her committee.
HISTORICAL
ASSOCIATION
Recalling the 1954 Albany Plan of Union Medals
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5
By Dr. Galen Ritchie
This is a year of anniversaries. We are four-fifths through the Civil War Sesquicentennial. This summer, the centennial of World War I (which we only entered
in 1917) will be commemorated. Perhaps, unremembered, is that this is the 260th
Anniversary of the Albany Plan of Union, the bicentennial of which was celebrated by the Capital District in 1954.
The Franklin Plan of Union is metallically recollected through a set of three
commemorative medals produced in bronze, silver and gold, authorized in 1954
by the American Congress. The front features an image of the 18th century Albany City Hall with the words “200th Anniversary: Albany congress of 1754; 1754 Albany Cradle of the Union
1954.” The reverse pictures Benjamin Franklin’s 1754 segmented snake motif with the warning, “Join or
Die.” These features were explained with the statements: “Here was adopted Franklin’s Plan of Union and
Forerunner of the U.S. Constitution.”
The medals are of a uniform 3.7 mm diameter; weights differed due to the metal content. There were 4,800
bronze medals reportedly issued and offered for sale at Albany City Hall. 1,250 silver medals were produced
but publicly available. Fifty gold medals were struck, but not advertised. The bronze and silver medals occasionally appear at local auctions and/or antique shows. However, the gold medals are rate. I know of only
three specimens to have entered the secondary market. Although Albany was the focus of this event, the
bronze medals were publicly available and anyone could, with purchase, take
part in it.
The Albany Plan of Union was a plan to place the British North American colonies under a more centralized government. The plan was adopted on July 10,
1754, by representatives from seven of the British North American colonies. Although never carried out, it was the first important plan to conceive of the colonies as a collective whole united under one government. Read more at https://
history.state.gove/milestones/1750-1775/albany-plan.
New Initiatives Effort
As we approach our 50th anniversary year and reminisce about the past, we are also focusing on the future. It seems a good time to dust things off, update procedures and consider new ideas. With that in
mind, we have put a new initiatives task force in place. You are encouraged to be a part of this effort
by sharing your thoughts and ideas pertaining to our communication, programming and events, community involvement, exhibits, etc. If you have suggestions, we want to hear them. Won’t you please
consider being actively involved in this process? It is invigorating to imagine all that we can do if we
work together. Please reach out to Karen Beck at 439-9260 or email [email protected]
Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Delmar, NY
Permit No. 52
Bethlehem Historical Association
Cedar Hill School House
P.O. Box 263
Selkirk, NY 12158
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
We’re on the Web!
BethlehemHistorical.org
E-MAIL
Coming Events
We recently started the practice of using e-mail and are sending brief, occasional messages to all those who have given us
their address. If you are not receiving these messages but
would like to be included, please let us know. Our address is
[email protected].
At the Cedar Hill Schoolhouse unless noted differently.
SNOW BIRDS
If you arrange to have your mail temporarily forwarded to a
different address, please know that the post office does not
forward our mail due to our bulk mailing status. In addition,
we are charged a fee each time a piece of mail is returned to
us as undeliverable.
In order to receive your mail without interruption, and also
save BHA unnecessary expense, we ask that you please notify us in advance of your temporary address and the dates
that you will be using it.
Please contact the corresponding secretary, Wendy Brandow,
at 767-0716with this information. If we have forwarded
your mail in the past, and there are no changes this year, we
will automatically forward the mail so there is no need to
call. Thank you!
Thursday, October 16, 2014 7:00 PM
The Mohicans Emerson Martin, Jr.
Thursday, November 20, 2014 7:00PM
“Albany and Bethlehem's Changing Boundary Lines”
Anthony Opalka & Susan Leath
Sunday, Dec. 7 and Monday Dec. 8, 2014, 1-4 PM
Annual Holiday Silver Tea
Thursday, January 15, 2015 2:00 PM
“Governor Martin H. Glynn of Albany & Bethlehem”
NOTE: To be held at Glynn’s former summer home,
1016 River Road, Selkirk.
Bill Brandow, John G. Waite Associates, Architects
Thursday, February 19, 2015 2:00 PM
“How the People of the Tri-City Area Helped Keep
America Free, 1939-1945” Jack Ryan
Saturday March 21, 2015 10 AM—2 PM
Antique Appraisal Day
NOTE: To be held at Bethlehem Town Hall.